Hold Me
by Sugarbubbleslove
Summary: KIA, the worst thing she had ever heard in her life. Part of 'Comfort' Series


Title: Hold Me

Characters: Mark/Maddy

Rating: Mature

Disclaimers: I do not own anyone/anything from the forum Terra Nova. Fox owns Terra Nova and its characters. There is no copyright infringement intended. I do not make any profit/money or take any credit.

Summary: KIA, the worst thing she had ever heard in her life.

Timeline: Future Fic

A/N: Part of my 'Comfort' Series

Warning: Slight Angst (yep – I'm doing angst for Mark/Maddy), slight violence, Sexual themes (Nothing explicit).

Hold Me

Maddy Shannon slowly made her way through the house, dropping the keys onto the coffee table as she passed it before reaching the door. She twisted the handle and it swung open to reveal the bedroom, the bed messy as the occupant didn't have time to make it.

She stared at it for a long moment before a harsh sob broke free from her. A hand went to her mouth as her other hand went to her stomach, leaning against the doorjamb before she slid down as her tears came harder and faster, the sounds of her anguish sobs filling the air.

Her knees came up and she buried her face into them, her arms wrapped around her legs as she tried to control her sobs. She breathed heavily, wishing he was here to comfort her, to hold her.

She tugged the dog-tags out of her top, bringing it up to her face as she remembered the sad look on Alicia's face when she handed it over.

_"I'm sorry, we're declaring him as KIA," Alicia whispered, her voice heavy with sadness as she struggled to hold her tears back. "We found this with his blood on the ground." She felt numb when Alicia dropped the dog-tags into her hand. Her fingers curled around the cool metal. "It's been nearly three weeks and there has been no indication that they are still alive."_

She switched it on and pictures showed up. One of them was a young Mark with his parents then the next was one with his grandfather. There was a few of her and Mark together, her father had managed to figure out how to use the cameras and had been taking pictures of them.

One of the pictures had her on her tip-toes, kissing Mark on the cheek as he grinned into the camera. The next one was the reverse; he was kissing her cheek while she laughed into the camera. There was one that her father snapped when they weren't looking, they were sitting on the couch, she had her legs over his lap, his hands over her knees as she laughed at something he said.

The next one was of him and Zoe; both of them were kneeling down by some flowers. Mark had a smile on his face while Zoe looked at the flowers in awe. That was her favourite picture of Mark and her little sister.

The next picture was of her and Zoe, both of them sleeping on the couch. Her mother had been the one to take this picture after Maddy and Zoe had stayed up having a girls' night only to fall asleep on the couch. Mark had convinced the older woman to give him a copy, not that it took much convincing as Elisabeth adored Mark to the point she had adopted him as another son.

The next picture was of him and Josh, both of them grinning as they held water-guns that Malcolm had managed to create. She let out a half laugh, half sob when the next picture showed the boys spraying Skye with water and the look of horror on the girl's face.

The next photo was of Elisabeth holding the hose and spraying the boys. She giggled as she remembered coming out to see Elisabeth and Skye laughing with Josh and Mark soaking from head to toe. Her father had been sitting on the ground with Zoe, in tears of laughter while Zoe giggled.

She switched the tags off, slowly getting herself off the ground and moving over to the bed where she spotted his t-shirt that he had discarded that morning while they had been making love.

She stripped out of her clothes before she picked up the olive t-shirt and pulled it over her body. She pulled up the collar, smelling the scent that was pure him, the one that made her feel safe and secure in his arms.

She climbed into the bed, shifting over so she was on the spot that he usually slept and closed her eyes, surrounded by his scent. She pulled the pillow closer, letting her tears wet the material as she allowed herself to sleep.

~_HM_~

Taylor watched as Alicia paced his office, occasionally kicking at space. She would sniffle, straightening her back as she would look up at the ceiling, absently praying. He knew how close she was to Reynolds. Even though Reynolds came through the fracture because of him, he was closer to Wash, especially after the young boy had beaten Wash during a hand to hand combat.

He remembered Alicia coming in and telling him that Reynolds had beaten her. He had been shocked because no other soldier had ever gotten the best of Wash during combat. Even when he went up against her, she held her own but it was only due to experience that he is able to beat her.

She had a proud smile on her face when she told him; he had demanded to meet the man who had beaten her. He remembered the stunned look on the young man's face when he came face to face with Taylor. He had been so nervous that Alicia had to place a hand on his shoulder just to get him to calm down while Taylor just commended the boy on doing a good job defeating Alicia.

"Sir, we have company," a voice crackled over the radios, bringing him out of his thoughts. "They are approaching the gates." Taylor looked at Alicia, both of them frowning.

"Who are they?" Taylor asked.

"Sir, you need to see this for yourself," the voice replied. He got up from his seat and both of them hurried out of the office, down the stairs and quickly crossed the base with soldiers following them, ready to defend Terra Nova.

"Raise the gates!" one of the Soldiers shouted and the gate slowly rose up for them to see soldiers slowly making their way over to the gates.

"Mark…" Alicia gasped when she saw the beat up young man who was propping up another solider. All five soldiers were alive and well and she shook her head, unable to believe her eyes.

"Sorry Commander, we ended up taking the long way home," Mark told Taylor, who chuckled, pleased to see his men alive and well. "Jenkins hurt his leg when we were being chased."

"Get him and the rest to the medical bay," Taylor ordered some of the soldiers and they came forward, taking Jenkins. The other soldiers were led toward the medical bay while Taylor and Alicia stepped forward. "Welcome back, son," Taylor clapped a hand on Mark's shoulder before taking a step back.

Alicia stepped forward, a hand reaching out to touch the rough skin of Mark's cheek due to being unshaven as a wobbly smile curved her lips.

"You idiot!" she half sobbed, half laughed as she embraced the young man, who hugged her back, "You stupid idiot!"

"I'm sorry," he whispered to the woman who had become like a sister to him. She just clung to him.

"We found your tags and blood…we thought," she shook her head, unable to say it.

"Sorry, I only realised that I lost them after I started moving. I hit my head," he explained and she nodded as she pulled away from him, touching the skin around the cut that was on his forehead and she sighed.

"We should get you to the medical bay. You need to be patched up," she informed him before she led him and Taylor to the medical bay.

Once they arrived there, Mark was caught up in a tight embrace from Elisabeth Shannon. He hugged the woman back as tight as she was holding him. The two of them had developed a mother/son relationship due to him dating her daughter.

"Thank goodness you're alright," she pulled away to cup his cheeks before she spotted the gash and she gave him a rueful smile. "Barring any scratches and cuts you have sustained." He just smiled sheepishly; his blue eyes scanning behind her for his girlfriend of two years only felt his happiness dim a bit when he couldn't spot her.

Elisabeth noticed this and she bit her bottom lip.

"Maddy," he looked down at her. "Maddy is…" she was cut off by a nurse calling for her and she sighed exasperatedly as she looked over shoulder to acknowledge the nurse before turning to look at Mark once more. "It's not what you think," she promised him, kissing his cheek and hurrying over to help the nurse out with the Soldier.

Soon they had all been checked out. Jenkins just needed to spend the night in the medical bay so his leg had a chance to set while the rest of them had been given a clean bill of health. Mark had given Taylor and Wash his report of what had happened.

"You all did well," Commander Taylor commended them, looking at them proudly. "Go home and get some rest. You have the week off to recover."

"Thank you sir," all five of them saluted and he nodded, dismissing them. Mark was about to leave when he heard someone calling his name.

"…Mark," Mark stopped, turning to look at Jim Shannon, seeing the man for the first time and he was stunned. The older man looked like he hadn't slept, his hair mussed up and Jim sighed, levelling Mark a grave look. "We need to talk…its Maddy." Fear clenched his heart.

~_HM_~

The faint sound of the lock clicking slowly woke Maddy up. Her eyes felt gritty from crying and she looked at the clock. Five hours had passed since she arrived here. The sound of the front door opened had her breath catching in her throat, her eyes going to the open door of the bedroom.

She slid over the bed, her hand sliding down the edge before her fingers found the grip of the gun that Mark kept under the bed. She curled her fingers around it, slipping out of bed and tip-toeing over to the wall just as she heard soft footsteps.

She closed her eyes, breathing heavily as she pulled the safety off the gun, slowly sliding to the wall next to the door, her hands tightening around the gun. Who the hell would break into Mark's house?

The shadow crossed over the bed before they stopped and she knew this was her moment. She stepped into the doorway, the gun pointed straight at their heart in the dark.

"I have a gun," she warned them, her voice even. Their hands went up in surrender.

"Don't shoot!" a familiar voice shouted. "Maddy, it's me!"

Maddy frowned in confusion, her finger twitching over the trigger. "Maddy! It's me, Mark!"

"Mark?" there was a tremble to her voice. The figure moved further toward her, their hands slowly going down as they stepped into the faint light from the lamps outside.

She stared at him, unable to believe that he was in front of her. He had three weeks stubble, his hair was messy and slightly longer but his eyes were the same. There was even a gash on his forehead that had gauze over it.

"Maddy," he slowly reached out but she took a step back, unsure of everything. He was dead; they told her he was dead. The hand holding the gun fell down to her side as she shook her head.

"They…They…" she tried to speak but her tears made it difficult. His features softened as he stepped closer to her, his fingertips ghosting over her cheeks. She turned into the contact as his other hand gently grasped the gun, tugging it free from her slack fingers.

He quickly put the safety back on, setting it on the chest of drawers, not once removing his eyes from his girlfriend.

"I know," he whispered. "They told me everything." His thumb caught a tear as it slipped free.

"Your tags, the blood," she tried to make sense of it.

"I lost them when I got hit and the blood came from my head," he gestured to his head. "I never went back for them because we were too far to go back." Anger filled her veins.

"You idiot!" she slammed her fists into his chest, "You stupid idiot! How could you do that?"

"Maddy," he grabbed her arms but she kept hitting him, each blow getting weaker.

"I thought you were dead!" she shouted and he flinched. "I thought I'd lost you!" she cried as she fell forward and he wrapped his arms around her, holding her close

"I'm here, Maddy. I'm not going anywhere," he promised her, kissing the top of her head as she soaked his shirt with her tears. She clung to him, his arms wrapped around her, holding her safe.

Soon the urge to kiss and touch him was beginning to drive her forward. She pulled away from him, looking up into his face. She gently stroked his cheek as his thumbs wiped away the remnants of her tears.

She pulled him down, kissing him desperately and hard. He met her with the same fervour, he had believed for a short moment that he would never get to see her again. Her hands slipped in his hair as one of his hands went to the back of her head, his other to the small of her back, holding her close to his body.

She moaned when he broke the kiss, his lips trailing over her cheek and down to her neck. She arched her hips into his, wanting him close. It had been too long and she was desperate to feel him, hot and heavy against her.

Mark inhaled sharply when he felt her brush against him, his lips coming back up to hers as her fingers freed themselves from his hair, moving down to his chest where she quickly unbuttoned his combat jacket and it fell to the floor after she pushed it off his shoulders.

"Maddy," he broke the kiss, breathing heavily as he looked down at her, trying his hardest not to slam her against the wall.

"Please, Mark," his will power crumbled under her pleading tone and the need in those brown eyes. With a groan, Mark took her lips back into his, hands sliding down her back and over her buttocks where he cupped them.

Understanding, Maddy boosted herself, wrapping her legs around his waist, her arms going around his neck. He walked over to his bed, kneeling down on it and lowering Maddy onto the bed as he continued to kiss her.

He pulled back, breaking the kiss as her hands went to his shirt. He helped her to remove it and her hands went to the belt, pulling it out of the loops and throwing it to the side. His hands went to the shirt she had on her body and he pulled it off, leaving her bare to his gaze.

She didn't avert her eyes from his, her hands running over his skin, needing proof that he was still here, he was still alive and real. He tugged her head back up, kissing her gently as he followed her down, intent on proving her that he was indeed alive and he wasn't going to leave her anytime soon.

~_HM_~

Maddy found herself lying on her side, her head resting on her hand, her elbow in the pillow while her free hand traced invisible patterns on Mark's chest. He had his eyes close, just breathing and relaxing. He was finally home, after three weeks of hell, hell that she never wanted to experience again.

His hand came over hers, interlocking their fingers and he brought it up to his lips, kissing the back of it as he opened his eyes to look at her. He moved his lips down further to the silver band with a small diamond adorning her left finger, kissing it.

"I can hear you thinking," he gently teased her. Maddy scoffed.

"Just to let you know, you do this to me again, I'm so breaking up with you," she informed him. Mark laughed, reaching up and kissing her. She closed her eyes, allowing the sensations of pleasure to fill her.

"No, you won't," he told her as he pulled away, sure of himself. She arched an eyebrow.

"Oh, I won't?" she asked and he nodded. "How do you know?"

"Because you love me," he told her simply and she smiled, rolling her eyes, "And you can't wait to marry me." She laughed.

"Yeah, that's it. I'm just marrying you for the sake of a wedding," she teased him as she leaned down kissing him softly. He chuckled against her lips, sending vibrations down her spine before they broke apart.

"I'd like to think you're marrying me for my body and because the sex is awesome," he teased her. She blushed, hitting him on the arm as a result, causing him to laugh as he pulled her down; kissing her again. "I promise I will try and not scare you anymore," he told her solemnly when he broke the kiss.

She just gave him a gentle smile, her fingers caressing his chin and she nodded.

"I know," she whispered, kissing him sweetly then resting her head on his chest. He was home and while they knew that something like this could happen again, all they could do was make the most of their time together.

The End

Okay – hands up – who thought I actually killed Mark off?


End file.
